Chat Node
In many workflow scenarios, you might need to have a conversation with an AI agent to get more details, clarify information, or explore a topic before moving on to the next steps. The Chat Node is designed for these situations, allowing for dynamic, interactive conversations within your workflow.
What is a Chat Node?
A Chat Node is a component that facilitates a back-and-forth conversation between a human user and a designated AI agent. It pauses the workflow to allow for this interaction and then continues once the user decides to end the chat.
When to use a Chat Node?
Consider using the Chat Node when:
- You need to conduct a consultation or discovery session with an AI.
- The workflow requires nuanced input that is best gathered through a conversation.
- You want to provide a user with an opportunity to ask questions or get help from an agent at a specific point in the workflow.
- You need to refine a query or instructions for a subsequent node through dialogue.
Here are some common scenarios where a Chat Node excels:
| Scenario | Example |
|---|---|
| Customer Support | A workflow for troubleshooting an issue could use a Chat Node to allow the user to describe their problem in detail to a support agent. |
| Content Creation | Before drafting a blog post, a Chat Node can be used to brainstorm ideas and refine the outline with a creative agent. |
| Sales & Marketing | A workflow for qualifying leads could use a Chat Node to ask a series of questions to a potential customer and gather their requirements. |
| Personalized Recommendations | A movie recommendation workflow could use a Chat Node to chat with the user about their preferences before suggesting movies. |
| Client Discovery | Before generating project deliverables, a Chat Node can be used to understand client requirements, goals and constraints in detail. |
How a Chat Node Works
The Chat Node operates through a systematic process:
- When a workflow execution reaches a Chat Node, it pauses.
- A chat interface opens up, initiated by a pre-configured first message from the selected agent.
- The user can then have a full conversation with the agent, sending and receiving messages.
- The user decides when the conversation is complete and clicks a button to “Finish conversation & Continue”.
- The entire conversation history is saved as the output of the node, which can be referenced by subsequent nodes in the workflow.
Configuring a Chat Node
To set up a Chat Node, you need to configure the following components:
1. Agent Selection
You must choose an agent to handle the conversation.
- Click “Select an agent” to choose from your available agents.
- Pick an agent with expertise relevant to the conversational task.
- The step uses everything that agent knows. To give this step extra files, add them under Knowledge for this step. See Knowledge.
2. First Message Configuration
You need to set the initial message that the agent will send to start the conversation.
- In the “First Message” field, write the opening message.
- You can use variables to reference human inputs or outputs from previous nodes to make the message more contextual.